Page 38 of The Bear's Second Chance Mate
“Don’t good morning me,” she snapped. “I want answers, Stanley Thornberg.”
Try not to cry, Stanley. She’s even scarier before coffee.His bear quaked at the back of Stanley’s mind.
He straightened. “June and I are friends. She’s helping me make the store more welcoming. Especially for kids like Oli.”
Barb’s laugh was dry as kindling. “Friends. Right.”
Stanley felt his cheeks warm. “And Oli likes the animals.”
“Oli does,” Barb agreed, stepping closer. “And June likes you. You do know she thinks there might be something between you two.”
Stanley’s throat tightened, and he lost the ability to talk.
She likes us,his bear said.
“Except there isn’t, is there?” Barb pressed. “Not according to you.”
There is!his bear snarled.Tell her. Tell her now!
“It’s complicated,” Stanley said, fighting to keep his voice level.
“No, Stanley. It’s really not.” Barb’s eyes didn’t waver. “June thinks she misread everything. That maybe she imagined theway you look at her. The way you make Oli laugh. She’s doubting herself because you won’t tell her the truth.”
Stanley exhaled sharply and stepped behind the counter. He needed the solid wood between them, just for a minute. “I didn’t want to pressure her. She’s rebuilding her life. Finding her footing.”
“And you think that makes lying by omission noble?” Barb’s voice cracked, just slightly. “You’re letting her twist herself into knots while you hide behind polite smiles and soft words.”
Stanley’s shoulders sagged. “I’m trying to protect her.”
“You’re protecting yourself,” Barb said flatly. “You think you’re sparing her, but I see how she’s changing. How she’s breathing easier. How Oli runs ahead now, instead of behind. She’s finding her way, Stanley. And you…” she took a step closer, voice trembling with barely restrained feeling “…you could be the best thing that ever happened to them. Or you could hurt them worse than anyone else. And believe me, you have some competition in that department.”
He froze.
Barb saw the flicker in his expression, and her tone softened, barely. “Don’t toy with her, Stanley. Not if this isn’t real. She’s not some plaything for you to pick up and then drop when your true mate comes along.”
“I would never toy with her.” His voice came out rough. “She’s…they’re everything.”
“So answer me this.” Barb’s eyes bored into him. “Is she your mate?”
Silence stretched taut between them.
Then he said, “Yes.”
Barb closed her eyes. Just for a moment. When she opened them again, something fierce and protective and raw gleamed in their depths. “Then tell her.”
I agree with the scary lady,his bear said.
Stanley gripped the edge of the counter. “She’s got Oli to think about. I didn’t want to disrupt them. I didn’t want to be another upheaval. I didn’t want to make things harder for them.”
Barb let out a long breath, some of her fire fading. “She’ll always put her son first. That’s who she is. But you? You could be the one person who gives her the freedom to stop bracing for the next storm. You could be there for her, Stanley. For them both.”
She’s right,his bear murmured.She’s terrifying. But she’s right.
“She deserves to know the truth,” Barb added, hoisting her purse higher. “And if you care about her half as much as you pretend not to, you’ll give her the dignity of choice. Because she’s strong enough to make it.”
She turned to go, then paused, hand on the door. “If you love them, Stanley,show them.And if you’re too much of a coward…” she met his eyes one last time, and this time her voice was low, steady, almost kind, “…then I’ll tell her for you. And I won’t be gentle.”
The bell jingled again. The door clicked shut.
